In 1955, Elvis Presley played two shows in Beaumont, Texas, with bassist Bill Black and guitarist Scotty Moore.
In 1955, at Webster Hall in New York City, Perry Como recorded "Tina Marie."
In 1955, at Columbia Studios in New York, the Four Lads recorded "Moments To Remember."
In 1958, Bobby Darin's "Splish Splash" enters the US record charts, where it would reach #3. Bobby would later say that the song only took him about ten minutes to write.
In 1961, Bobby Vee recorded "Take Good Care Of My Baby." It quickly became popular, reaching #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in September. The song is noted for being incredibly similar in musical structure to Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen by Neil Sedaka.
The Beatles opened for Bruce Channel in concert near Liverpool in 1962 and Bruce's harmonica player, Delbert McLinton, gave John Lennon tips that served John well later on the single "Love Me Do."
In 1966, Jimmy Page made his live debut with the Yardbirds in London.
In 1966, working at Abbey Road studios in London, the Beatles recorded from start to finish, a new John Lennon song "She Said She Said." The song was reportedly based on a bizarre conversation that Lennon had with Peter Fonda while John and George Harrison were tripping on LSD. This was the final track recorded during the Revolver sessions, and was hastily added when the album line-up was found to be a song short.
After a North American tour in 1966, the Rolling Stones sued 14 hotels over a booking ban in New York, claiming that the ban was violating civil rights laws.
In 1966, Freddy Cannon, Paul Revere and the Raiders, and the Robbs guested on ABC-TV's "Where the Action Is."
In 1967, to celebrate the beginning of summer, the Grateful Dead, Big Brother and the Holding Company, and Quicksilver Messenger Service performed a free concert in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park.
In 1968, Steve Binder, director of Elvis Presley's upcoming NBC-TV special, asked musical director Bones Howe to write a more relevant, "socially conscious" song for Elvis' big closing number, to replace the tentatively scheduled "I'll Be Home For Christmas." That afternoon, Howe wrote "If I Can Dream," and after hearing it a few times, Elvis agreed to use it.
In 1969, day one of the two-day Toronto Pop Festival at Varsity Stadium featured performances by Al Kooper, Johnny Winter, Alice Cooper, Rotary Connection, Velvet Underground, and Sly & The Family Stone.
In 1970, Pete Townshend of the Who caused a commotion at Memphis International Airport. He said Tommy was "going down a bomb," meaning the group's song "Tommy" was a hit. Only the word "bomb" was overheard however, and police and FBI agents reacted by searching the facility for explosives.
In 1971, Rare Earth released the single "I Just Want To Celebrate."
In 1972, Led Zeppelin appeared at Denver Coliseum, Denver on their North American tour.
In 1973, the soft rock group Bread, lead by David Gates, give their final concert in Salt Lake City. A truck accident earlier in the day had destroyed the band's equipment, so they had to play with borrowed instruments and amps.
In 1975, Ritchie Blackmore quit Deep Purple to form Rainbow.
In 1975, "Take Me In Your Arms (Rock Me)" peaked at #11. The Doobie Brothers hit is a cover of a Holland/Dozier/Holland song originally recorded by Kim Weston.
In 1975, Captain and Tennille started a four week run at #1 on the US singles chart with the Neil Sedaka song "Love Will Keep Us Together."
In 1975, in London, Elton John, the Eagles, the Beach Boys, and Rufus played for an estimated 120,000 fans at Wembley Stadium.
In 1976, Wings played the first of three nights at the Los Angeles Forum to complete their first North American tour.
In 1976, the Elton John-Kiki Dee duet "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" was released.
In 1977, as part of their 81-date Draw The Line Tour, Aerosmith performed at the Tarrant County Convention Center in Fort Worth, Texas.
In 1980, conductor/composer/arranger/producer Bert Kaempfert died following a stroke at age 56.In 1981, just after signing a multi-album contract with Warner Brothers, the pop group Steely Dan announced they were breaking up. Donald Fagan and Walter Becker, the driving forces behind the band, said their 14 year musical partnership was over. Steely Dan's hits included "Reeling in the Years" and "Rikki Don't Lose That Number."
In 1987, Madonna performed in Japan for the first time at a concert in Tokyo.
In 1988, Pink Floyd performed at Versailles, France. The performance would be released as 'Delicate Sound of Thunder.'
In 1989, it’s The Who’s 25th anniversary trek. The Kids Are Alright Tour: 1964 -1989 begins at the Glen Falls Civic Center in New York.
In 1989, New Kids on the Block released the single "Hangin' Tough."
In 1990, jazz singer June Christy, a vocalist with Stan Kenton & His Orchestra (1945-1954) prior to her solo career, died of kidney failure at 64.
In 1991, "Rush Rush" by Paula Abdul was the #1 song.
In 1993, the U.S. Supreme Court agrees to hear the case of John Fogerty who is trying to recoup legal fees from his fight with the other members of Creedence Clearwater over royalties.
In 1994, George Michael lost his lawsuit against Sony Records. Michael claimed that his 15-year contract with Sony was unfair because the company could refuse to release albums it thought wouldn't be commercially successful. Michael vowed he would never record for Sony again. He re-signed with the company in 2003.
Master P was at #1 on the US album chart in 1998 with ‘MP Da Last Don.’
In 1999, Pantera rode a float in the Dallas Stars Stanley Cup victory parade in downtown Dallas. Pantera is responsible for the Stars' theme song.
In 2000, 39 year-old Karen McNeil who claimed she was the wife of Axl Rose and that she communicated with him telepathically was jailed for one year for stalking the singer.
In 2003, in Holland, R.E.M. started their first world tour in four years.
In 2005, American Idol runner-up Bo Bice releases his debut single, "Inside Your Heaven." This normally wouldn’t be worth mentioning except that the B-side has a cover of the Ides Of March hit "Vehicle" with Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora. Bice got a lot of milage out of the 1970 hit during the Idol competition. Desmond Child, a longtime Bon Jovi collaborator, produced both songs.
In 2008, Disturbed were at #1 on the US album chart with ‘Indestructible’ the bands third consecutive US #1.
In 2009, Aerosmith drummer Joey Kramer invites 20 wounded soldiers to attend the band's performance in Bristow, VA, to help him celebrate his 59th birthday. "I can't think of a better gift to receive on my birthday than to have the privilege of sharing a night of our music with these brave and heroic warriors," says Kramer. The troops are Iraq/Afghanistan veterans and patients from the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, MD.
Also in 2009, the Video of the Year honor for "Gotta Be Somebody" is one of three trophies Nickelback receives at Canada's 2009 MuchMusic Video Awards in Toronto. The also nab the MuchLOUD Rock Video of the Year and Post Production of the Year (wow!) awards. "Our greatest reward in making music has always been the fans wanting us to make more," says Nickelback in a statement. The band closes out show with "Burn It To The Ground."
In 2010, Billboard magazine estimated that Michael Jackson's album catalog had generated about $383 million in sales and that MJ Inc. had earned at least $1 billion in revenue in the year following his death.
In 2010, at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, husband-and-wife country music singers Faith Hill and Tim McGraw headlined "Nashville Rising: A Benefit Concert for Flood Recovery." The lineup included Taylor Swift, ZZ Top, Carrie Underwood, Lynyrd Skynyrd, LeAnn Rimes, Martina McBride, Toby Keith, Miranda Lambert, and Miley Cyrus. More than $2.2 million was raised from sold-out ticket sales, donations and sponsorships.
In 2011, People magazine reported that 75-year-old Glen Campbell had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. "I still love making music," said Campbell. "And I still love performing for my fans. I'd like to thank them for sticking with me through thick and thin."
In 2012, lyricist/composer/Broadway producer Richard Adler died at the age of 90.
